


Snow Day

by PercySnail



Category: 24 (TV)
Genre: Cabin Fic, F/M, PURE FLUFF unlike the snow storm, Tumblr Prompt, bill and karen in the snow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-13
Updated: 2015-04-13
Packaged: 2018-03-22 15:54:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3734689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PercySnail/pseuds/PercySnail
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A prompt from lucindadixon on tumblr after a discussion about these two and their Vermont real estate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Snow Day

**Author's Note:**

  * For [everytimeyougo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/everytimeyougo/gifts).



Bill/Karen - Snowed in at their fabulous Vermont cabin-like home :))

 

Her first thought, when she wakes up, is how quiet it is. It's always quiet here - an adjustment that had been hard on her. She had grown accustomed to the soundtrack of the city to put her to sleep - Seattle for years, LA for so long, then D.C. last. She had grown used to the noise; and her first months out here had found her restless with the utter tranquility of nightfall. 

Still though, tonight - tonight it is almost eerily quiet. There is no wind in the trees, no scuttling of animals through the brush outside. No odd passing truck, or creak of the front porch. 

Karen checks the clock. 02:12 flashes back her in red. She swings her legs out of the bed slowly, trying not to wake Bill. He is out cold, snoring softly; not at all disturbed by her movements. She pads quietly over the cold hardwood floors to the windows on the other side of their bedroom. When she pulls back the curtains, and sees the still night outside, a smile crosses her sleepy face. Snow.

Quite a heavy snow, too. The last time they'd been here - before they'd moved here, officially, there'd been snow on the ground when they arrived; but she hadn't the luxury of seeing it fall. It's been ages - years - since she's been able to just watch snow fall. 

She watches it, entranced, the minutes ticking by. Bill's quiet snores in the background interrupt the silence, but it is a welcome noise; one that warms her heart. Karen pulls her robe around her, smiling at the warmth in her chest. A peaceful snow fall; a sleeping Bill Buchanan, and no plans for the next day. 

As she tiptoes back to the bed, slipping into the sheets, she thinks how lucky she is to be here tonight.

*****

At 11:47 the next morning, the exact opposite is all she can think. The peaceful snowfall of the dark hadn't lasted.

They are up to their knees in snow - their knees. It had started falling fast and furious around the time the sky had started to lighten, and they had switched on the television. Retirement had made them lazy about checking the weather - with no need to leave, and nowhere to go, they had missed the announcements of a storm headed their way. The snow 'storm' quickly had turned into a blizzard, and they had donned their hats, coats, gloves, and boots, determined to keep the driveway clear.

Bill had been adamant about staying "ahead of the storm;" continuously stressing to her how important it was to go out frequently and clear small amounts; rather than wait it out.

Wait it out, inside, in front of the fire. Wait it out in the enjoyable warmth, with spiked hot chocolate, and homemade soup (his, of course) and old movies on the television. 

No no, they couldn't wait it out. He'd insisted. 

So here they were, soaking wet, and frozen solid. The snow was thick; heavy, wet, and cold. Karen's arms ached. In fact, her everything ached - her face was frozen, her ears were throbbing, and her legs were stiff. Bill looked to be in pain too, his eyes and nose peeking out from beneath his hat and scarf. 

"Bill, this is crazy!" She yells it over the wind, which had picked up considerably in the last thirty minutes. "There's no way we can keep up with this, honey. It's useless." She stops shoveling, stomping over towards him. "We're going to freeze before we even clear an inch of this mess." 

Bill pauses his shoveling, standing up and looking at her. He pulls the scarf that covered his mouth down, dismay on his face. "I - it's going to be hell to shovel when it's all done though." Looking around, he surveys the rapidly falling snow. "It's not supposed to stop for another four hours." 

Karen shakes her head, looking towards the front door of the house. "You're welcome to stay out here and try, Bill Buchanan, but this girl's headed inside. Now." 

She tromps over towards the door, turning one last time. 

"I'll have a brandy ready for you, whenever you decide to quit." 

****

An hour later, and she wills herself to sneak another (was this her fifth? sixth?) peek out the window at her beleaguered husband. Karen rose off the couch, headed towards the window. At the sight of him, she is grateful - so grateful - for the warm flannel pajamas she's donned, and the fire crackling in front of her. Bill looks positively awful - soaked to the bone, the small bits of face she could see bright red. He continues to shovel, his movements inadequate against the heavy snowfall. He is barely moving anything, and the small clearings he does make are quickly covered whenever he moves forward

This was ridiculous. Karen cross to the front door, throwing it open.

"BILL!" She yells it, her voice reminiscent of the many times she's addressed him at work. 

"Bill, come inside!" He couldn't hear her over the wind - or perhaps had chosen not to. 

Karen reaches out to the front porch, grabbing the boots she'd left there, and throwing them on. She stomps over the covered front porch towards him. 

"BILL BUCHANAN!" He looks up at her then, thrown out of his trance of shovel, throw, shovel, throw. 

"Bill, you look awful," loudly, she yells the words. "Come inside?" 

Miserably, he looks around him. His shoulders droop as he sees how useless his work has been against the offense. Bill nods, resigned, and follows her as she turned back towards the house. 

"I think I can go back out in a few hours," he mutters, as they cross the threshold into the house. 

"A few hours? Bill, in a few hours, it's going to be pitch black out. It's going to be pitch black, and freezing out." Bill continues towards the mud room, stripping down once he enters, continuing to talk to himself. Or her - she wasn't quite sure if it mattered who he was talking to. 

"You've got to stay ahead of it, though. Or else tomorrow, we'll wake up and be snowed in." 

Karen shook her head, laughing at his dedication. He looks up sharply. "Karen, this is serious."

"Oh, is it, Mr. Buchanan?" She continues to laugh at his serious face. "Is it that serious, really? Bill, we can have the service out here tomorrow to shovel us out - I'm sure they'll be more willing than to do so with their equipment." 

She continues, not pausing in her effort to convince him to relax. "In the meantime, I've got the ingredients prepped for soup, a glass of brandy on the counter, and a fire in the fireplace. There's a special on the history channel tonight, and we've got nowhere to go, and nothing to do." 

Bill's face relaxes slightly, a crooked grin starting to cross his face at the notion of a night in. 

Karen finishes up her convincing speech, crossing over to him, as she runs a hand down his bare arm. "It'll be just you - and me - and there's not one chance we'll be disturbed." She bites her bottom lip, meeting his gaze. "No one can come by in this mess." 

Bill's grin is wide now, and she reflects it back at him. He pulls her close, and she startles at his cold skin. "I guess I could use some warming up, Ms. Hayes." 

She runs her hand down his arm, entwining her fingers through his when she reaches his hand. She tugs, pulling him towards the living room. "I think I can help you with that, Mr. Buchanan." 

*****

An hour later, they are wrapped up in blankets, the fireplace roaring in front of them. Bill reaches down, tracing a lazy circle on her hip as he lowers his lips to hers. 

"I'd say I'm sufficiently warmed up now." 

Karen grins, idly rubbing his arm as she curls in even closer. Bill continues, softly murmuring in her ear. 

"I think next time, I'll just enjoy the snow day with you."


End file.
